Tag Archives: writing advice from famous writers

Diane Ackerman (born 1948) is an American essayist, naturalist, and poet. She is best known for The Zookeeper’s Wife, The Human Age, An Alchemy of Mind, A Natural History of Love, and A Natural History of the Senses. In Jon Winokur’s Advice to Writers, Ackerman offered this writing advice:

“The best advice on writing I ever received was: Invent your confidence. When you’re trying something new, in security and stage fright come with the territory. Many wonderful writers (and other artists) have been plagued by insecurity throughout their profes sional lives. How could it be otherwise? By its nature, art involves risk. It’s not easy, but sometimes one has to invent one’s confidence.

My own best advice to young writers is: follow your curiosity and passion. What fascinates you will probably fascinate others. But, even if it doesn’t, you will have devoted your life to what you love. An important corollary is that it’s no use trying to write like someone else. Discover what’s uniquely yours.”

P. D. James (Phyllis Dorothy James, 1920-2014) wrote crime fiction for more than half a century. In her first novel, Cover Her Face (1962), James introduced readers to Adam Dalgliesh, a poet and inspector at New Scotland Yard. She followed that with 13 additional Dalgliesh mysteries and five other unrelated novels. Her last novel, published in 2011, was Death Comes to Pemberley, a murder mystery that is a pastiche of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. In an interview with The Guardian in 2012, James offered this writing advice: